Our vision for geography

As Geographers, we aim to develop children’s subject skills and understanding by inspiring and igniting their curiosity about the wider world. We aspire to create individuals who are respectful, sensitive and accepting of the world and others.

The curriculum has been developed to be broad and balanced so that the children are exposed to experiences they wouldn’t otherwise have access to. We do this by using primary sources such as field trips that are closely linked to the topic and secondary sources such as; maps (digital and physical), atlases, globes, photographs and books to develop their understanding of the wider world.

Through the curriculum we are creating children that are aware not only of themselves and their community, but are aware of where they stand in relation to this wider world. This is done through a carefully planned curriculum, which helps children to understand their locality in relation to the UK, in relation to Europe and in relation to the rest of the world. At the same time, it is planned to be age appropriate and progress is shown across the year groups. It is chronological so that each year builds on the knowledge and skills from previous years. The teaching of geography gives children the opportunity to learn about people and cultures, current world affairs and knowledge about weather and climate. We aim to raise Eco Warriors who are global citizens and fight for our environment and world.

Geography Curriculum Rationale

At Crompton Primary, we are all geographers! We want our pupils to appreciate geography and the world. We want them to have no limits to what their ambitions are and grow up wanting to be cartographers, town planners, conservationists or weather forecasters!   The Geography curriculum has been carefully designed so that our pupils develop their Geography knowledge and capital. We want all our pupils to remember their Geography learning in our school, to cherish these experiences and embrace the opportunities they are presented with.

Curriculum Intent

The Geography curriculum promotes curiosity and a love and thirst for learning. It is ambitious and empowers our pupils to become independent and resilient.

We want to equip pupils with ambition beyond the minimum statutory requirements of the Geography National Curriculum and prepare them for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life. The curriculum is meticulously planned with the intention to address social disadvantage and ensure that all pupils - including those with SEND - have an opportunity to engage with a challenging curriculum and achieve success. Any gaps in pupils’ knowledge are quickly identified and addressed to ensure that pupils are supported to meet the ambitious intended end points of the curriculum in Geography.  We have designed the curriculum as a school and therefore the curriculum is unique to our school and meets the needs of our pupils and our context.

The Geography curriculum is focused upon the development of development of substantive and disciplinary knowledge. Geography is progressively sequenced to ensure that pupils’ knowledge and substantive concepts are built over time and prepare them for their next steps in learning.  Geography is progressively sequenced to ensure that pupils gain appreciation and understanding of areas such as map work, migration, land use, population and fieldwork skills. The theoretical aspect of Geography is developed through discovery of the systems and component knowledge. Through practical work, the pupils learn the discipline of the subject and apply their knowledge and skills to think and work as a Geographer. Fieldwork is taught and explored progressively across school. We ensure children have the opportunity to investigate geographical areas and apply their knowledge of fieldwork. Children regularly work outdoors with a range of maps and equipment which enhances their skills and knowledge.

We want our pupils to use the vibrancy of our great town and wider city to learn from other cultures, respect diversity, co-operate with one another and appreciate what they have. We achieve this by providing a strong local contextual links where possible. For example, recently a group of pupils visited the River Roach in Heywood. The children were given the opportunity to learn about the land use around the river and the way in which a river might change over time. Pupils were able to apply their fieldwork knowledge and collect data sets in which they could use in lessons and their ‘Rivers’ unit. We firmly believe that it is not just about what happens in the classroom, it is about the added value we offer to really inspire our children.

British Values and our core values are placed at the heart of everything we do. This often feeds into the Geography curriculum. Cultural capital development is addressed through visits to sites of geographical interest, Rivers, rural and urban areas and the use of the internet to interact with people from across the globe. We enrich pupils’ time in our school with memorable, unforgettable experiences and provide opportunities to engender an appreciation of the natural world and the human impact.

Curriculum Implementation

We effectively develop and invest in our teaching staff to ensure that they are fully equipped with expert subject knowledge in order to support the delivery of the exceptional Geography curriculum. Teachers present the curriculum content clearly through composites and component parts supported by unit booklets, which break the unit knowledge, concepts and skills down for each lesson in each year group.

The curriculum is delivered through a subject specific approach which supports pupils to develop the key concepts and knowledge of the Geography curriculum. Each lesson within a unit of work is carefully crafted and builds upon what has been previously taught from one year to the next.

Frequent audits of the Geography curriculum take place. Following the findings from these audits, the Geography curriculum is adapted to build upon the learning opportunities and assessment end points for each year group and ensures progression and repetition in terms of embedding key learning, knowledge and skills.  The way Geography is taught follows a specific and consistent structure.

Pupils’ curiosity is inspired through the igniting of prior learning and the manner in which geographical content is delivered. Pupils’ engage in the knowledge, skills and experiences involved in a unit and deepen their understanding to record their opinions, analyse and to review and revisit ideas. This process is replicated for each geography unit. The way each discipline is taught is revisited in each phase, at a progressively deeper level.

Geography subject specific characteristics, which we expect the pupils to demonstrate, have been developed and shared with all stakeholders. These characteristics underpin all work in Geography and form a focal point for display areas and provide a common subject specific vocabulary for staff and pupils. These characteristics are:

be inspired, curious and fascinated about the world and its people

develop knowledge about the world to help them deepen their understanding of the interaction between the physical and human processes and the formation of landscapes and environments

develop contextual knowledge of the location of globally significant places both terrestrial and marine

understand the processes that give rise to key physical and human geographical features of the world and how these are interdependent

collect, analyse and communicate with a arrange of data gathered through experiences of fieldwork

interpret a range of maps, diagrams, globes, aerial photographs and (GIS) systems

communicate geographical information in a variety of ways maps, numerical skills and writing at length

The teaching of the Geography curriculum is planned and delivered to support pupils to transfer key knowledge into their long-term memory and therefore improve the progress they make. Essential vocabulary is identified within each lesson and unit of work to ensure that our pupils can discuss and evaluate the Geography content effectively.

Whilst delivering the curriculum, teachers are constantly checking to ensure that pupils are learning the necessary knowledge and identifying and addressing misunderstandings. Assessment is used as a tool to support pupil learning. The Geography curriculum is research evidence informed in relation to the content, delivery and process of learning.

Curriculum Impact

We use both formative and summative assessment information in Geography. Assessment informs learning to ensure that all pupils including disadvantage and those with SEND achieve highly and acquire the knowledge and cultural capital they need to succeed in life. Staff use assessment information to inform their short-term planning and address misconceptions. This helps us provide the best possible support for all of our pupils. The end points for each phase have been carefully mapped out and further broken down. This means that the essential knowledge, skills and concepts in geography are progressive and build year on year.

Our well-constructed curriculum in geography leads to pupils’ successful learning. This is evidenced in the outcomes within workbooks and display work produced. Pupils are well prepared for the next steps and stages of their learning due to the progressive and well-sequenced curriculum. As a result, pupils  know more and remember more as they move through the Geography curriculum at Crompton Primary.